Does the store make creative use of wall space to sell product? D. Does the sales staff use suggestive selling? E. Is the sales staff friendly and helpful? F. Is the image of the staff consistent with the image of the store? IV. Layout A. Does the store layout help draw people throughout the store? Why or why not? B. How does the layout facilitate purchases? C. What type of layout is used? Would another type of layout be better? V. Merchandising A. Has the retailer employed any techniques for achieving greater space productivity such as using the “cube,” downsizing gondolas and racks, minimizing no-selling space, etc.? B. Are there any displays that increase interest in the products being offered? If not, would you recommend any? C. How has the retailer organized merchandise? What improvements could be made? VI. Summarize your suggestions on how this retailer can improve the shopping experience for their customers, increase sales, and improve their image. PART C: Evaluate Web Sites. Go to the four retail web sites and shop for a product. For example, if I were shopping for a pair of jeans, I would try to find similar jeans at four different retailers. I might view Victoria’s Secret, GAP, J. Crew, Levi because they all offer about the same quality and target similar markets. : A. Identify the retailers you chose and why. B. How do you compare your experience shopping on the Internet to shopping in a local store for this type of product? C. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet shopping experience? D. Compare the retail offerings of the product you were shopping for: a. product quality b. price c. suggestive selling d. website features e. design of website f. ease of website use g. closing of the sale e) Which one of these sites would you use? Why?
